Jon Hain
Madison-based singer-songwriter Ritt Deitz is ostensibly a roots rock artist, but there’s enough going on under the surface that any one genre tag seems insufficient. A Kentucky native who also directs UW-Madison’s French master’s program, Deitz combines rugged mountain sonics with an aesthetic that’s closer to ragtime than anything else. At times, he resembles Tom Waits in his ability to marry sophistication with down-homeness, which he puts on full display in his ninth album, Horses and Smoke.
Horses and Smoke features 12 tracks, a mix of originals and covers, and Deitz approaches each of them with delicacy (especially the ethereal “The Fields of Athenry”), never leaning too far into the country posturing that seems to plague so many roots artists. Album opener “Up in Ohio” starts with a sort of barroom piano that shows Deitz’s skill at composing original music, while the wistful “Henderson” recalls the earnest jangle of Counting Crows (not to mention that band’s penchant for location specificity).
Deitz peppers Horses and Smoke with covers of songs both traditional and contemporary, from the aforementioned “The Fields of Athenry” to classic rock staples like James Taylor (“Lo and Behold”). He even covers a song by local luminary Andy Ewen (“Think of Me”). He makes each song into his own, adding touches of his bluesy folk and delivering them in his powerful baritone.
Deitz has been a musician for much of his adult life, releasing his 1999 debut album Hillbilly and eight subsequent ones on the local label Uvulittle Records (run by Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse owners Jon Hain and Sephanie Rearick). His connection to the small local label is indicative of Deitz’s focus on close familial and community relationships.
Horses and Smoke is a work of confidence, the creation of a self-assured artist comfortable in his own voice. Perhaps more of today’s trend-chasing folkies should take a page from Deitz’s playbook.
